Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS feels like a mix between Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Bros. 3. It’s an interesting combination, but the big question remains: Is it any good? The short answer is, yes. From what I played, it’s very good.
Four levels were available to me at Nintendo’s recent holiday press event in Toronto. One level resembled a Mario Bros. 3-esque ship while another reminded me of the fiery dungeon levels from the original Mario on the NES. The other two levels reminded me of the Super Mario Galaxy series, each adopting clean colour pallets and a multi-perspective play style. This is to be expected, as the game was developed by Nintendo’s Tokyo branch of EAD, the developer responsible for the two Super Mario Galaxy titles on Wii.
I was particuarily fascinated by the ship level. It was a blast from the past and looked similar to the boss levels from Super Mario Bros. 3. Each level also ends with the classic flag pole from older video games which I felt was a great nostalgic touch. It’s good to see that even after the successful Galaxy series, Nintendo is still willing to return the Mario franchise to its roots. I imagine the success of New Super Mario Bros. on the Wii probably had something to do with this.
Nintendo is obviously attempting to mix the tried and true Mario platforming formula with the more three dimensional based gameplay from Mario 64. This is similar to what they did with their Super Mario Galaxy titles, and it’s even more apparent in Super Mario 3D Land. Collectible Galaxy items like Star coins (the same ones from the Galaxy series) are present in the game, as are classic Mario features such as question mark boxes and collectible coins. Overall though, level layouts are relatively simple as were the missions I tried out. This is probably because it’s a portable title and needs to be playable in short bursts. I also noticed that the game’s side scrolling elements out weighed the Mario Galaxy-like three dimensional portions.
The game’s 3D effect is very subtle and easy on the eyes. At times, I actually forgot the game was in 3D, so I would have liked to see the effect ‘pop’ a little more. Don’t interpret that as a complete lack of 3D elements though, at one point ink sprayed out of an enemy and shot out of the screen. The effect was pretty cool and I’m wondering if it will be utilized frequently in Super Mario 3D Land.
Control wise, Mario reacts just like he did in Galaxy, and all of the franchise mainstays are there; stomping on enemies’ heads, running, flipping, grabbing, and (of course) Mario’s fluid jumping movements. In other words, the game controls beautifully. Also, the Tanooki suit, one of the only special abilities available during my demo, is awesome, although I sort of expected to be able to fly with it like you could in Super Mario Bros. 3. In this new title, you’re only able to float for a few seconds and spin through the air, destroying anything in your path. It also would have been great to play as Luigi, a recently announced second playable character in the game, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to in the demo.
Overall, my relatively short play session with Super Mario 3D Land was impressive. The 3DS is in dire need of Nintendo’s top notch franchises and Super Mario 3D Land certainly delivers. It drops on November 13th in North America and the 18th in Europe.